In the Course of Human Actions: Chance
by MissDevon
Summary: Are Donna and Josh willing to take a chance on each other?


**_In the Course of Human Actions:  Chance _**

Disclaimer: characters aren't mine, but the take on the story is.

Spoilers: anything up to the middle of _Disaster Relief._

Category: J/D

Author's note: OK, so I'm trying something a little different here.  This is probably the first time I've done a series of interrelated short stories.  Hope you enjoy them.

_~All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire._

_-Aristotle~_

She knows that people say that you shouldn't leave things chance, but she does.  She had been a planner once.  To tell the truth she was still one in many ways, but she was more willing to take chances now.

The good things in her life came from taking chances.

From taking the biggest chance of her life.

And so here she was, taking another. . .

The files were out on the table (in case he didn't come up alone) and she was seated on the couch trying to make note cards. The only thing was, the longer she sat there the more she questioned this chance she was taking.  They had decided a long time ago that they weren't these people--- or at least that they couldn't be.

And yet, here she was. . .

It had seemed like a good idea to try and take this chance now.  That was why she had sent Ryan after him instead of going herself.  But now she wasn't so sure. . .

Biting her lip, she put aside the note cards, stood, and stretched before starting to pace, all the while trying to come to a decision about the situation she was facing.  

As the door opened behind her she knew that is was too late to back out, and yet she wasn't ready to go forward,  

So she stood there, unable to make herself turn and face him. . . 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Josh dropped his backpack at the door and shuffled further into the room, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.  His dejection was clear in his posture.  He had taken a chance in his dealings with Carrick and it had backfired.  He just couldn't understand how it had come down on his head.

He had had Leo's proxy, for as much good as it had done him.  

Now, Leo was acting as if he had just gone off and done all of this on his own, going so far as to say that 'no one wanted' him in the White House anymore.  So he got to keep his 'job,' such as it would become, and his title.

Big friggin' deal.

Walking further into the room he saw her standing there as if she were frozen and his heart skipped a beat only to restart its regular pattern at the sight of the files and note cards.  "You didn't have to send the kid after me," he groused as he flopped onto a chair.

Sighing, Donna turned to him, "seemed like a good idea at the time.  Willcox show?"

"What do you think?" he asked.  "What's all this? Busy work?" he wondered as he started to sort through the files, frowning at their labels.

"A mistake," she sighed as she moved to the end table and started to stack the files.

Josh frowned at her actions, "why are you here?"

"It doesn't matter," she muttered as he pushed himself to his feet and put a hand on her arm.  "Don't."

"Why are you here?" he asked again, a pleading tone in his voice.

"Taking a chance.  Like yours it appears to have blown up in my face," she answered testily, cursing her choice of words as soon as they left her mouth.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean. . ."

Josh stepped back from her and looked at his feet, "you have no idea how much I want to break something right now," he admitted.

"Josh. . ."  
  
"I took a chance and left Hoynes because he friggin' asked me to.  His office should be mine Donna. _Mine,"_ he started angrily.  "He treats me like I don't get it.  He's trying to make me quit--- possibly all of us.  Maybe because he knows that I know."

"Know what?"

"It doesn't matter," he sighed, his anger draining slightly.  "He's going to bring her in.  Toby doesn't think so, but I know it.  He's going to do it to shut her up."

"Josh?"

"He floated the damn poll.  Of course he'll blame that on me too, if it comes out," he shook his head as he moved to the couch and sat down.

"What poll?" Donna wondered, trying to follow his constantly changing train of thought.

"When the President enacted the 25th I told Leo that we needed a poll.  He said no in front of Staff. . ."  
  


"But went out and did it anyway."

"Yeah," Josh sighed as he slumped in his chair and stared at Donna.  "You know what the worse thing is?" he asked before cutting off her reply with his own answer.  "It's the chances that I didn't take."

"You think you should have stayed with Hoynes?" Donna asked uncomfortably, knowing that if he had her life would be completely different from what it was now.

"That's not. . ." he shook his head and straightened in his seat as he gazed up at her.  "What chance were you going to take tonight?"

"It really doesn't matter," she said sadly as she turned and returned to packing up.

Standing, Josh moved quietly behind her and reached around to take the files out of her hands.  Annoyed, she spun around, but her anger died as she took in the look in his eyes.  "Then let me take one I should've taken a long time ago," he said softly as he bent down and kissed her.

Surprised, she stood stiffly for a moment before giving in.  When Josh ended the kiss, she pulled back and slapped him.

"Well, I guess I read that one wrong," he muttered as he rubbed his cheek and dejectedly went back to the couch and sat down.

Hand over her mouth, Donna fought back tears, "Josh, I'm sorry.  I just. . ." 

He shook his head and laugh hollowly.  "It's ok.  I just thought that maybe you. . . Hell, at least I took the chance this time," he added as he looked towards the window.

Biting her lip, Donna crossed to the couch and sat down, making sure to leave some space between them as she stared forward.  "It's not that I didn't. . ." she shook her head as she looked up at the ceiling.  "We can't.  I realized that once I thought about it.  We just can't take this chance.  Not now."

"Why not?" Josh asked her as he shifted so that he could see her profile.  "Why the hell not now?"

"You know why, Josh," Donna sighed, wishing she didn't have to be the voice of reason, as she pushed to her feet, still refusing to look at him.  "We've talked about this before."  
  


"But it's different now."  
  


"Yeah, but for how long?" she asked.  "We both now that this will eventually blow over."

"No.  No it won't.  And what we both know is why I still have my so-called job and my staff," he said as he rose and crossed to her, rambling.  "He knows that if he made me give you up in that way too that I'd walk.  Maybe he should have.  He would already have what he wants: me out of there."  
  


"Don't talk like that," she said softly as she stepped forward and turned, trying to make sure that she kept space between them.

"Why not? It's the truth.  Do you want to know what he told me, Donna? What hurt the most?"

"Josh. . ."  
  
"He said that no one wants me there any more. Not that the Republicans want me gone, or even that the party leadership does.  He straight out told me that no one wants me there."  
  
"You know that that's not true."

"Yeah.  I know you, Toby, and CJ do.  I know that if the President would get his head out of his ass long enough to see what's going on around him he'd want me to stay on.  Hell, if for no other reason than to piss Leo off, Mrs. B wants me around. But when he said 'no one' I knew what he meant. . ."  
  


"You think he meant him."

"No.  I _know _he did.  

I'm only there because of the promise he made me.  Because on some level he's still a man of his word, but that's going to change soon.  Is already starting to.  I'll be damned if I stay on to help him ruin this administration! If I will give up any more than I already have!" he paused and took a deep breathe before stepping forward and bracketing her arms with his hands, waiting till she met his gaze to continue.  "I've gotten some interesting offers.  Even been approached. . ."  
  


"You mean . . ?"  
  


"Yeah, and my chances are going to be slimmer than Sam's, but with the right team. . ." he shrugged.  "Donnatella," he continued softly as he moved a hand up to cup her cheek, "I took a chance on you nearly six years ago.  Are you willing to take one on me now?"

Donna smiled slightly at that.  "Is this your way of telling me you find me valuable?"

"What do you think?" he asked as he bent down and kissed her again, savoring the moment as she melted into him.  As he ended the kiss he smiled and stepped back: "at least I didn't get a red cheek this time."  
  
She blushed slightly at that as she pushed him away and crossed her arms over her chest: "well, if you prefer. . ."  
  


"No.  I definitely prefer this," he answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her head.

After a couple of moments, Donna pulled back slightly and smiled at him, "so, Mr. Lyman, tell me about this chance I'll be taking."

"So you think you might be willing to?"

"Well, you did take a chance on me.  Tell me, what do you have to offer?"

"Let's just say that you might find me valuable one day."

"That I might," she smiled as she looped her arms around his neck.  "That I just might. . ."


End file.
